By Dave B.

​Every two years, an “important” national election in America rolls around and I tell myself that I won’t vote. Why? Because I’m neither a socialist, nor a bigot, and being allied with either group offends me. But the same sense of personal integrity that makes me despise my potential electoral allies also makes it unbearable for me to not fulfill my duties as a citizen. So I vote. And I kinda hate myself for days afterwards because invariably, although most Democrats and Republicans are probably neither socialists nor bigots, I’ve voted for someone who is at least tolerant of having socialists or bigots in their midst. This is an intolerable situation for me, but what’s the solution?

By Dave B.

​I don’t mean that as any disparagement against a particular individual or group. In fact, I wish I did. Then it would just be a simple matter of avoiding people who share the trait(s) that make them exhausting and seeking out the people who don’t. The problem is that all of us are exhausting for the exact same reasons, regardless of our education levels, our belief systems, how much we volunteer, what job we have, or whatever other ways we choose to distinguish ourselves from each other.

By Dave B.

So, I rarely talk about this, but I hate the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). And I don’t use the term "hate" lightly. I think it is easily the worst federal agency in the United States. Part of its mission statement reads: “The Food and Drug Administration is responsible for protecting the public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, and medical devices; and by ensuring the safety of our nation's food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation.” (It’s full mission statement can be found here.) On most of these measures it fails. Here are three (out of many, many) examples of why I despise the FDA and want to see it abolished and replaced with an effective agency:

By Dave B.

​…he’s not an idiot, nor an overpaid sports analyst. 

If we assume that LeBron James cares about his legacy, we can make two conjectures about his on-court priorities: First and foremost, he wants to win as many championships as possible during the remainder of his career. And second, barring winning more championships, he wants to continue his streak of making it to the NBA Finals. If the NBA maintains its current playoff format, going to a Western Conference teams poses a significant risk to both of those priorities.

By Dave B.

​I know you’ve seen them. Those ridiculous commercials for prescription medicines that have side-effects worse than the ailment that they’re supposed to treat. Ignoring the fact that they’re universally terrible, the fact that they actually exist is insane.

By Dave B.

​First of all, I need to say that the inspiration for this article (mini-rant) is NOT a specific person or incident. Instead, it’s a series of events that I have experienced and observed throughout my life. So, if it seems applicable to some individual or situation that you are familiar with, it’s likely because it is a cultural tendency we’ve all experienced and/or been guilty of at some point in our lives. That said:

By Dave B.

​This post started as request from someone that I write about how people can be more pragmatic. It sounded like a good idea, but I try to slow myself down and think things through before committing to a course of action (because that is the exact opposite of what my instincts tell me to do). So, my first action was to find a definition for the word “pragmatic”. Oxford defines it as, “Dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations”. I like that definition, so let’s go with it. 

By Dave B.

​In America, the mainstream political spectrum can roughly be divided into thirds: left-leaning (liberal), right-leaning (conservative), and center (moderate). In no way does this capture the entirety of political thought that exists, but it’s a useful way to frame the political dynamics in our country. That said, liberals and conservatives are pretty terrible at communicating with each other, largely because they don’t really care to. Fair enough.